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NATIONAL: Oyo-Ita pleads for adjournment sine die over ‘N570 million fraud’

FORMER Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, has pleaded to the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, to adjourn her ongoing trial indefinitely.

Oyo-Ita who is standing trial before Justice Taiwo Taiwo accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of an alleged abuse of court process.

In the same vein, the 7th, 8th and 9th defendants in the money laundering charges, also made the plea for the adjournment.

Ubong Okon Effiok, his two companies; U & U Global Services Ltd and Prince Mega Logistics Ltd are 7th, 8th and 9th defendants respectively in the matter, while Frontline Ace Global Services Ltd and Asanaya Projects Ltd are 2nd and 3rd defendants in the trial.

Others in the case include Garba Umar, and his two companies; Slopes International Ltd and Gooddeal Investment Ltd as 4th, 5th and 6th defendants respectively.

At the resumed trial on Tuesday, counsel to Oyo-Ita, Paul Erokoro, SAN prayed the court to adjourn the matter sine die (Indefinitely).

He argued that the complaint by lawyers to the 4th, 5th and 6th defendants indicated that the anti-corruption agency had frozen the bank accounts of their clients even when the matter was still pending before the court.

Erokoro then urged the court to make the order until the EFCC placed before the court the evidence that it had unfrozen those accounts.

“It is a very sad development. We just want to submit that an appropriate order should be made.

“We want this honourable court to adjourn this proceeding sine die until the prosecution placed the evidence that they have taken steps to correct this error and that they are now prepared to prosecute this matter in one court,” he enjoined.

Okechukwu Ajunwa, Counsel to the 7th, 8th and 9th defendants also corroborated Erokoro’s argument.

He said, “I align myself with the submission of learned senior counsel,”

Earlier, the EFCC’s lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar, was ready to take the evidence of the next witness, reminding the court that the matter was slated for trial continuation.

But, counsel to the 4th defendant, Augustine Ananukwa raised an objection to the trial continuation.

In his argument, Ananukwa, said “We are not ready because of the recent event. During the pendency of this suit, the bank account of the 4th defendant was frozen.

“We made enquiries on whose order this account was frozen, we discovered it was not coming from this court. “We are unsure how the prosecution got the order,” he said.

According to him, this constitutes an abuse of court process. The lawyer stated that since the order did not emanate from the court where Justice Taiwo was presiding over the trial, his client would not be able to go on with the matter.

Ananukwa, then urged the court to direct the EFCC to immediately unfreeze the account, said the act had subjected his client, a family man, to hardship.

Counsel to the 5th and 6th defendants, Chitoo Mbama also aligned by opposing Abubakar’s submission for trial continuation arguing that her clients’ accounts too were frozen by the EFCC.

“My lord, due the freezing of the accounts of 5th and 6th defendants on whose behalf I am standing before your lordship, we will be unable to proceed with this matter,” she said.

The lawyer also prayed the court to direct the prosecution to unfreeze the accounts of her clients. Justice Taiwo then asked Abubakar, “Who gave the order.”

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